Lindsey Graham Says He Worries China Is ‘Setting the Stage’ For Blockade of TaiwanAs China’s People’s Liberation Army continued war games near Taiwan including simulated attacks against the island, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voiced concern on Sunday that Beijing may be “setting the stage” for a possible blockade of Taiwan.
To deter any such move, he told "Fox News Sunday," the U.S. should make clear it would respond by blocking oil shipments to China from the Middle East.
Graham also said he would support the use of U.S. armed forces to defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression.
After threatening “strong and resolute measures” in response to Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Los Angeles last week, China on Saturday launched what it said were three days of military drills to the north, east, and south of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese military has reported scores of PLA fighter jets, bombers, and other warplanes and more than 10 warships crossing the median line dividing the strait or entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the drills included simulated missile strikes “against key targets on the Taiwan island and its surrounding waters.”
A spokesperson for the command described the exercises, code-named Joint Sword, as a stern warning against “the provocative activities of ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces and their collusion with external forces.”..............
https://cnsnews.com/article/international/patrick-goodenough/lindsey-graham-says-he-worries-china-setting-stage